


Simulations

by mysupernaturalobsessions



Series: Divergent (A Destiel AU) [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 22:44:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5946103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysupernaturalobsessions/pseuds/mysupernaturalobsessions





	Simulations

Dean led all the initiates down a new corridor of the Dauntless compound. The room he brought them to was all white, much brighter than their usual surroundings. There were chairs lined on either side of the room and a door at each end. Dean told them to take a seat. 

“We’re going to start practicing simulations. At the end of your training, you will complete one final simulation in front of a panel and your efficiency will be scored. Take these opportunities to overcome your fears.”

Cas watched his fellow initiates go into the room somberly and come out utterly broken. Dorothy was in tears when she ran outside and Charlie hugged her tightly for a moment, before it was her own turn to go in. Dorothy fled back to the dormitory and everyone was silent. Even the Dauntless-born weren’t teasing for once. They were cautious, too. 

Gabriel, ever the easy-going one, actually patted Cas on the back when the time came for Dean to collect him. “Just don’t panic. I mean, you probably will, but don’t.”

“Thanks,” Cas muttered. 

Gabriel smiled mirthlessly.

Dean stood in the open door with a similarly grim expression. He was all business as he closed the door and had Castiel sit down on a chair that looked very similar to the testing one used to choose a faction. Dean hooked the wires up to his temples and wrists. He pulled a syringe from the top drawer of the computer desk. 

“This is going to pinch,” he warned. 

Cas grimaced and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Dean was gone. Cas found himself alone staring into the darkness. The scene was so black he couldn’t see a foot in front of himself. He reached forward, trying to touch, but there was nothing there. He walked forward a step, then another. He started running in his panic but he never got anywhere, and the darkness never let up. He was trapped there. He fell to his knees, panting. He bowed his head in surrender. 

Then he saw a flash of light. When he looked up again the scene had changed. He was in a grey room, kneeling before a stranger. His hands felt wet. When he lifted them he saw they were covered in blood. He looked down at the man in front of him again. He was dead. Cas had murdered him. 

Cas glanced around, but there was no one there. He sensed that someone was coming for him. Despite the panic building in his chest, he waited for them. He closed the dead man’s eyes and waited with him. The apologies died on his tongue. When the door opened, Cas didn’t flinch. He let them take him away. The scene changed again.  
He was in field, tied to a stake in the ground. His feet were a few inches off the ground. A fire started beneath him. The flames licked up his legs and he started to struggle, but it was futile. There was no smoke. That scared him more than anything. He wouldn’t die from asphyxiation this way, he’d simply feel himself burn to death. He bucked harder in his restraints. 

Finally, he felt the binds around his wrists start to give. He pulled more, feeling the strands of yarn separating. When his hands were free he untied the rest of the bonds. He jumped to the ground and ran as fast as he could. 

He woke up panting in the chair. Dean was watching over him, his face full of concern. 

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Cas felt self-conscious all of a sudden, it was a good distraction from his fear.

“Cas, how long do you think you were under the simulation?”

“Umm…twenty minutes, maybe?” It felt like forever. 

Dean shook his head. “Three. I’ve never seen anyone do so well their first time. How’d you escape the fire?”

“I…don’t know.”

Dean’s eyes shifted back to the monitor. There’s a grainy picture of Cas paused after his escape from the flames. Dean closed the screen. “Well, let’s just hope the test simulation goes well in a few weeks. That’s the one that really counts.”

Cas nodded eagerly. He hopped up from the seat. “Yeah, so I’ll just…”

“Wait, Cas,” Dean warned him, but Cas had already opened the door. Everyone looked up at him, going silent. Dean stepped behind him with a sigh so quiet no one else could hear it. “Gabriel, you’re next.”

Cas shuffled out of the way. 

“Wow, Cas, how’d you finish so fast?” 

He shrugged. He was hoping it would just blow over, but by the end of the day everyone had heard about Cas’s impressive time. He had beaten everyone’s time by half, at least. He wilted under the attention. 

But when it came time the next day to rank scores, Cas stood eagerly beside Charlie. He was ranked nineteen, just above a Dauntless-born named Ruby. He was in the clear for the first time since training began. He breathed in relief. It took him a minute to notice that Charlie had gone stiff by his side. 

“What is it?” he whispered, frantically searching the board for her name. “You’re ranked 10th, Charlie, you’re fine.”

“Dorothy’s in the red,” she said quietly, glancing back to look at her friend.

Castiel looked more closely at the names. “So is Balth.” 

The walked back to the dorms was a quiet one.

 

Maybe Cas was being paranoid, but Dean seemed to be avoiding him. In the mornings when Cas had gone early to train, there had been no sign of him. His scores had been improving, but he still wasn’t great at hand-to-hand. But he lasted a lot longer now. Dean probably thought he didn’t need help anymore. The thought left Cas feeling a little empty. 

He had convinced himself of the theory, though, when by the next week Cas had moved up steadily in the rankings. He was the top scorer of all the new initiates. Charlie congratulated him eagerly, which was nice. He had been concerned she would be mad at him for beating her out. But she was more concerned for Dorothy, who was still in the danger zone with Balthazar and ten others. 

That night at dinner, when Cas met Dean’s eyes across the cafeteria Dean had quickly looked away and never glanced in his direction again. Cas lingered after the rest of the initiates had gone back to the dormitory, hoping Dean would come over and say something, congratulate him. He held his breath when Dean finally passed him on his way out, but Dean never even glanced over. Cas looked down in disappointment, gathered his tray and left. 

He was walking through the corridor when something hit him hard in the back of the head. He fell to his knees and then he felt someone pull a rough bag over his head. He squirmed and tried to kick but several arms were holding him still, murmuring to each other. They hefted him back to his feet easily and pushed him forward. 

When he heard the sound of water up ahead, he suddenly knew where they were headed. He started to struggle again with vigor. The pushed him forward, hard, and he felt one of his feet slip over the edge of the open bridge. 

“Please, don’t do this,” he whispered. There wasn’t enough air in the bag. 

He pulled one hand free when someone landed a punch in his gut. He keeled over. But he kept his one hand free and reached up quickly to pull the bag from his face. He took in gasping breaths of air and looked up with watery eyes. 

“Balth?” he wheezed. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His friend glanced away, ashamed. There were two other boys – dauntless-born initiates he’d barely spoken to. He didn’t even spare them a glance, even as they gathered his arms again. “Why?”

Then the hands on him suddenly fell away. He heard panting and the thump of bodies as they hit the ground. Balth looked behind Cas and his eyes widened. He turned tail and ran. Dean was standing behind Cas and the boys were still passed out on the ground. Dean rushed forward. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

He put an arm around his waist and guided him away. 

Cas was surprised when Dean took him to his own room, but he was glad for it. Dean steered him toward the bed and then went to rifle through his drawers. 

“Here, put this on,” Dean said, throwing him a dark green pullover. 

Cas did as he was told, but he was distracted. He shook his head. “I can’t believe Balthazar.”

“You’re moving up in the ranks and he’s failing. He’s just afraid.”

“We’re all afraid.”

Dean sighed. He glanced away from Cas. “You should get some sleep. I’ll take the floor.”


End file.
